Method for producing mixed condiment particles

ABSTRACT

Method for producing a powdery-flavor-coated powdery-condiment particle comprising (1) wetting the surface of a powdery condiment material with water or a hydrophilic solvent, (2) contacting the wetted particle with a second powdery condiment material (3) causing the second material to adhere to the wetted particle by drying the mixture with a hot gas of controlled temperature and humidity whereby a uniformly coated condiment particle is formed. Materials used as flavors or condiments include sodium chloride, 5-nucleotides and amino acids.

United States Patent Inventors Priority Yoshiro Funakoshi Kyoto;

Hiromi Nakatani, Kyoto; Tatsuo Asogawa, Osaka; Takehiko Kajiura, Osaka, all of Japan Apr. 21, 1967 Oct. 26, 1971 Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. Osaka, Japan Apr. 22, 1966 Japan METHOD FOR PRODUCING MIXED CONDIMENT PARTICLES 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 99/140 N, 99/143 Int. Cl A231 1/22 Field of Search 117/1196,

Primary Examiner-Morris O. Wolk Assistant ExaminerWarren Bovee Attorney-Wenderoth, Lind and Ponack ABSTRACT: Method for producing a powdery-flavor-coated powdery-condiment particle comprising (1) wetting the surface of a powdery condiment material with water or a hydrophilic solvent, (2) contacting the wetted particle with a second powdery condiment material (3) causing the second material to adhere to the wetted particle by drying the mixture with a hot gas of controlled temperature and humidity whereby a uniformly coated condiment particle is formed. Materials used as flavors or condiments include sodium chloride, S-nucleotides and amino acids.

PATENTEDncT 2s I97| 3.615.598

sum 2 nr 3 INVENTORS YOSHIRO FUNAKOSHI HIROMI NAKATANI TATSUO ASOGAWA TAKEHIKO KAJ IURA ATTORNEYS PATENTEUuCI 2s l97| sum 30F 3 w INVENTORS YOSHIRO FUNAKOSHI HIROMI NAKATANI TATSUO ASOGAWA TAKEHIKO KAJIURA M M 9; I g

ATTORNEYS METHOD FOR PRODUCING MIXED CONDIMENT PARTICLES This invention relates to a method for producing condiment composition essentially consisting of at least two ingredients selected from flavorous amino acid, flavorous Silwucleotide and sodium chloride by a coating process including a specific drying process defined hereinafter.

It has hitherto been known, that when a flavorous i,- nucleotide is co-employed with monosodium glutamate, a superior flavor enhancing effect is obtained due to the synergistic action and that when sodium chloride is used with the flavorous 5'-nueleotide in an appropriate mixing ratio, a peculiar flavor enhancing effect is also obtained.

At the present time, as a preferable type of condiment having the above-mentioned components, there has been used monosodium glutamate coated with flavorous 5'-nucleotide and sodium chloride coated with monosodium glutamate and/or flavorous 5 -nucleotide.

For producing the above-mentioned condiments by a coating process, there has been practically employed a process comprising, at first, spraying liquid coating agents on a material to be coated or uniformly scattering pulverized solid coating agents on a material to be coated, which is previously dampened, and then, drying the thus treated material by introducing hot air or by heating from outside, in a coating pan, rotary dryer or a fiuidizing column.

However, the above-mentioned method has the following defects:

l. The spraying process cannot be conducted before the material so sprayed is dried, since both the spraying process and the drying process are carried out in the same pan, column or drier, and furthermore, in order to coat a desired large amount of the coating agent on the material to be coated, it is necessary to repeat many times the above-mentioned procedures, these repetitions necessarily resulting in taking a rather long period of time for completing the coating.

2. The material to be coated and/or the coating agent are apt to be decomposed or deteriorated, when hot air of rather high temperature is used in order to attain a high thermal efficiency, and the material to be coated is often scattered or broken up, when the amount of the hot air to be introduced is increased for the same purpose.

3. When a large amount of the coating agent is sprayed on the material to be coated, there frequently occurs an agglomeration of the material to be coated and the agglomerated material is dried as it is to give a commercially nonattractive massive final product.

The present inventors have extensively studied these problems to avoid the defects of the known method for producing condiments by coating process, and reached the present invention described hereinafter.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing condiments wherein the above-mentioned'defects in hitherto known methods are eliminated by employing a coating method including a specific drying process.

The method of the present invention comprises (1) admixing under moist conditions (or, in other words, in the presence of solvent) a material to becoated and a different coating agent, both of which are selected from flavorous amino acid, flavorous 5-nucleotide and sodium chloride whereby the coating agent adheres to the surface of the material to be coated, (2) contacting the resulting mixture with hot moist gas under such conditions that there is an approximate dynamic equilibrium maintained between the amount of solvent vaporized from the material by heating with the hot moist gas and the amount of liquid condensed from the hot moist gas, and (3) drying the thus treated mixture by heating, whereupon a condiment composition having one component coated with other components is obtained.

The method of the present invention has the following advantages.

l. The method of the present invention effectively prevents agglomeration and adhesion of individual materials to be coated in a drying process.

2. The method of the present invention avoids deterioration of the material to be coated and the coating agent.

3. The method of the present invention requires only a short time for effectively conducting the process.

4. By the method of the present invention, a condiment composition having a very smooth coating layer adhered on its surface can be produced in comparison with that produced by the known methods.

The material to be coated and the coating agent used in the method of the present invention are selected from the group consisting of flavorous amino acid, flavorous 5'-nucleotide and sodium chloride, the flavorous amino acid being exemplified by monosodium glutamate, alanine, glycine, monosodium aspartate, threonine, etc., the flavorous 5' nucleotidc being exemplified by disodium salts of 5'-inosinic acid and 5'- guanylic acid, etc. Namely, among the above groups, one component is selected as the material to be coated, and one or more components other than the one to be coated is (are) used as the coating agent(s).

The condiments produced by the method of the present invention are, thus, exemplified as follows:

1. A condiment essentially consisting of monosodium glutamate coated on its surface with disodium salts of 5-inosinic acid and/or 5'-guanylic acid;

2. A condiment essentially consisting of sodium chloride coated on its surface with monosodium glutamate;

3. A condiment essentially consisting of sodium chloride coated on its surface with monosodium glutamate and disodium salts of 5'-inosinic acid and/or 5'-guanylic acid.

In the method of the present invention, as the first step. the material to be coated is mixed with the coating agent under moist conditions, or, in other words, in the presence of a solvent.

This process may be carried out by, for example, mixing the material to be coated with a solution or suspension of the coating agent, or wetting the material to be coated by bringing the material in contact with a liquid and then mixing the thus wetted material with a powdery coating agent.

The solvent for dissolving or suspending the coating agent is exemplified by water, methanol, ethanol, acetone, and a mixture of these. Among them, water is most preferable.

The liquid employable for wetting the material to be coated may, for example, be water or such a hydrophillic organic solvent as lower aliphatic alcohols (e.g. methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, etc.) and aliphatic ketones (e.g. acetone.

Among these water is most preferable.

When monosodium glutamate (MSG) is selected as the material to be coated, such procedure may preferably be employed for mixing the MSG and a coating agent whereby the coating agent is mixed with a slurry containing MSG, which is obtained in a course of the production of MSG by a fermentation or obtained by slowly cooling a solution of MSG dissolved in a solvent (e.g. water, a mixture of water and methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol or acetone) and then subjecting the thus prepared mixture to filtration.

Thus, a treated wet composition in which the coating agent adheres'on a surface of the material to be coated is prepared.

An amount of solvent contained in the wet composition is maintained within about I to 6, more desirably about 3 to 4 percent (weight/weight) of the material to be coated by controlling the concentration and/or amount of the solution or suspension of the coating agent to be used or the amount of the solvent employed for wetting the material to be coated.

when the amount of the solvent contained in the material to be coated is too small, the coating process is not effectively carried out due to an insufficient moiety of the material to be coated, and when the amount is too large, a smooth product is not obtainable since there occurs agglomeration of the product to be coated in a large amount due to dissolution of the material to be coated and the agglomerated material is dried as it is.

The mixing of the material to be coated and the coating agent may be carried out by conventional means, and a mixing under stirring with aeration is preferably employed. As the material to be coated in the present method, a powdery or granular form thereof may preferably be used, especially not smaller than about 100 mesh (ASTM).

When powdery or granular coating agent is mixed with powdery or granular material to be coated which is previously wetted with a solvent described before, an average diameter of the coating agent is preferably not larger than about one-third of that of the material to be coated.

An amount of the coating agent to be used may be selected so as to make it possible to coat the material to be coated, and is generally preferably about 1 to about percent by weight relative to the material to be coated.

In the method of the present invention, as the second step, the wet composition prepared in the first step is subjected to a contact with hot moist gas under such conditions that there is nearly kept a dynamic equilibrium between an amount of solvent vaporized from the composition by heating with the hot gas and that of liquid condensed from the hot moist gas.

For effectively keeping the dynamic equilibrium, wet composition prepared in the first step is contacted at a temperature of not lower than 20 C. with gas of relative humidity of about 80 to about 95 percent. The term relative humidity generally refers to the ratio of the vapor pressure of water in the gas to the vapor pressure at saturation at the same temperature.

In the present specification and claims, however, the term relative humidity" is used as meaning the ratio of the vapor pressure of liquid (including water) in the gas to the vapor pressure of the liquid at saturation at the same temperature." The contact is preferably continued for about 15 minutes to about 1 hour. The upper limit of the contact temperature may be the highest temperature within which the material to be coated and/or coating agent are not decomposed or deteriorated at all, and preferably up to about 100 C. Generally stated, the higher the contact temperature the better efficiency of the specific drying process of the second step. But, practically, the contact may be carried out at a temperature ranging from about C. to about 70 C.

As the hot moist gas, air is most preferably employed, but other inert gas (e.g. nitrogen gas, CO gas, etc.) may be used.

By the second step, the coating agent coated on the surface of the material to be coated is allowed to strongly and tightly adhere thereto.

The third step of the present method is to dry the thus treated composition by heating with hot gas. As the hot gas, air is desirably used, but other inert gas (e.g. nitrogen gas, CO gas, etc.) may be used. The drying may be conducted by contacting the composition with hot gas of relative humidity of about I to about 85 percent, more desirably about 2 to about 82 percent, the temperature of the hot gas being not lower than about C., and practically being about 30 C. to about 100 C. The contact may be continued for about 30 minutes to about 2 hours.

In the method of the present invention, most practically, the process of the second step and that of the third step are continuously carried out by continuously bringing the wet composition prepared in the first step in countercurrent contact with a hot moist gas. Namely, the hot gas is at first brought in contact with the composition having passed through the process corresponding to the second step, whereby the composition is dried while the humidity of the hot gas is increased and the temperature thereof is slightly lowered, and the hot gas after contacted with the above composition, is then brought in contact with the wet composition from the first step which is not yet subjected to a process corresponding to the second step.

Thus, the method of the present invention is advantageously carried out, with the use a vertical mixing column, by continuously supplying the wet composition prepared in the first step through the upper part of the column and on the other hand continuously introducing a hot gas through the lower part of the column under specific conditions as mentioned hcreinbeforc, whereby the composition is continuously contacted in countercurrent with the hot gas.

Of course, however, the present method may be carried out in a batchwise manner by appropriately adjusting temperature and relative humidity of the hot gas introduced through the lower part of the column.

When the method of the present invention is continuously carried out by the use of a vertical mixing column, a wet composition prepared in the first step is introduced in the column from the top thereof, and is subjected to a process corresponding to the aforementioned second step at the upper part of the column, and subsequently falls downward to the lower part of the column, wherein the composition is subjected to a process corresponding to the aforementioned third step.

in order to effectively conduct these processes, it is necessary to control operation conditions so as to allow each of the two processes to be carried out under such conditions as previously mentioned. For this purpose, such operation conditions are appropriately selected as humidity of the wet composition charged from the top of the column, a relative humidity, a temperature and a feed rate of the hot gas to be fed from the bottom of the column, and, if necessary, a contact period of time between the wet composition and the hot gas. More strictly stated, a hot gas of a temperature of not lower than about 30 C., more desirably about 40 C. to about C., and of a relative humidity of about I to about 70 percent, more desirably about 2 to about 25 percent, is continuously fed into the column from the bottom thereof under such feed rate as around or a little lower than a minimum fluidization velocity of the wet composition to be fed, generally about 0.5 to about 300 cm./sec. On the other hand, the wet composition prepared in the first step, which contains a solvent in about I to about 6, more preferably, about 3 to about 4 percent (weight/weight) relative to the material to be coated, is continuously fed to the column from the top thereof. A feed rate of the wet composition is preferably determined so as to adjust a total contact period between the composition and the hot gas in the column at about 1 to about 3 hours. Thus, the wet composition is continuously contacted with the hot gas in countercurrent in the column. In the lower part of the column, the hot gas is continuously contacted with the wet composition after having passed through the process corresponding to the second step, whereupon the composition is dried under such conditions as described hereinbefore. After the contact as mentioned just above, the hot gas shows such characteristics (i.e. temperature and relative humidity) as defined for the second step, and goes upward towards the upper part of the column, in which the gas is continuously contacted with the wet composition, whereby the latter is subjected to a process corresponding to the second step under such condi tions as described before.

if necessary, the inner temperature of the upper part of the column may be adjusted as desired to within a range of about 10 to 80 C. by heating or cooling outside the column.

Thus, the objective condiment composition, in which one component is tightly and smoothly coated with one or more other components on its surface, is continuously obtained from the bottom of the column.

Hereinafter, the above-mentioned continuous process of the present invention is described referring to the figures. X

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a main part of an example of an apparatus employable in the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an example of a total continuous apparatus employable in the method of the present invention and FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an example of a continuous multistage coating apparatus employable in the method of the present invention.

In those Figures, 1 shows a hopper to which a material to be coated is supplied, 2 shows a feeder for quantitatively supplying a material to be coated, 3 shows a tank for spraying a solvent, 4 shows a hopper supplying a coating agent, 5 shows a feeder for quantitatively supplying the coating agent, 6 shows a column wherein a material to be coated is wetted with a solvent and is mixed with the coating agent, 7 shows a stirring wing, 8 shows a slit, 9 shows a column wherein a process cor responding to the second step and that of the third step are carried out, 10 and 11 show stirring wings, 12 shows a heat jacket, 13 shows a porous plate or a plane supporting a stirring axis, 14 shows an outlet for the finished products, 15 shows an inlet for a hot gas, 16 shows a hot water tank, 17 shows a heat monosodium glutamate of mesh (ASTM) size 28 to 100 is constantly supplied in an amount of 1 kilogram per minute to the column 6 (diameter: about 40 cm., and height: about 150 cm.) and stirred while being sprayed with water at a rate of 40 MSG monosodium glutamate Ribo a mixture of equal amounts of disodium salt of 5'-inosinic acid and disodium salt of 5 '-guanylic acid.

EXAMPLEl Employing the apparatus shown in the FIGS.

exchanger, 18 shows an air conditioning device, 19 shows a 5 grams per minute. The humid granules of monosodium glutadust removal device, 20 shows a circulating pump and 2] mate thus obtained are supplied to the upper part of the shows a blower. I column 9 (diameter: about 40 cm., and height: about 150 cm.)

A material to be coated is supplied to the column 6 through in an amount of 1.04 kilograms per minute. the hopper l and the feeder 2, and, on the other hand, a sol- In the Column agitation iS Carried Out hil supplying vent for wetting a material to be coated is sprayed from the 10 therein a hot gas of 80 C. of 2 percent relative humidity at a tank 3 into the column 6 wherein the material is wetted with rate of N through h inlet and 8 Powder the solvent and mixed with the coating agent. vibonucleotide (a mixture of equal amounts disodium salt of The material thus wetted and mixed is supplied to the 5-inosinic acid and disodium salt of 5'-guanylic acid), which column 9 through the slit 8. A coating agent is also supplied to 15 i8 m ller th n me h, i suppl d at a rate of 80 grams per the column 6 or 9 through the hopper 4 and the feeder 5. min 10 the upp r part Ofthe Col mn On the other hand, hot gas is introduced through an inlet A tempe ature and a humidity of e B part of t e column 9 and rises through the column 9. In the a t ofA of th eolumn are maintained at 50 C. and 80 percent of relative humidity 9 as shown in the Figures, the material to be coated is admixed with both the hot gas introduced through the bottom of the with the coating agent to give wet composition wherein the eohlmh 9 and the heat jacket Such a manner, dried coating agent adheres on the surface of the material to b products consisting of monosodium glutamate coated with 7.4 coated. The composition thus prepared is transferred to the Percent by Welght of 5l'rtbohueleetlde relative e total parts shown as B in the Figures and then to the part shown as afhouht of the Products can eohtlhueusly be obtained a C in the Figures. The column 9 is kept warm with heat jacket yleld of L08 kllogl'am P mlhute from the bottom of the 2 column 9.

The wet composition transferred to in the part B is brought The dried prodhcts thus Ohtalhed c coatlhg f of in contact under stirring for a constant period with the hot gas 980 Percent felatlve to the athouht 5 'l'lbohueleotlde having increasing relative humidity, which has ascended dnefi products havmg a mesh me 9 20 to 100 are through the Part C, whereby the process corresponding to the obtained in a yield of above 97 percent relative to the total Second step is conducted amount of the dried product.

The composition after being subjected to the process is EXAMPLE 2 transferred to the part C wherein the composition is brought Employing only the upper column Shown in HQ 3, 8 kilo m Contact with the hot gas ascehdlhg from e lower t grams of sodium chloride mesh size of 32 to 100 are charged the 901mm 9, whereby the process corresponding to the third 35 in the column and a hot gas of 50 c. and relative humidity of step cohducted- 8 percent is introduced at a rate of 18 NmP/hr. through the h Product thus Prepared take" out from the outlet bottom of the column under agitation and 320 grams of a 25 With the use of these apparatuses, the meth the percent aqueous solution of monosodium glutamate are present invention is continuously carried out by selecting apsprayed therein propriately within the above mentioned conditions the ratio of 40 The aeration is Continued under agitation f minutes the amount of Solvent PP to the 6 to the amount after the spraying to give dried products consisting of sodium of the material to be coated, the staying period ofthe material hl id coated i h percent b i h f monosodium m. to be coated and the coating agent in the Column, and tamate relative to the total amount of the dried products in a perature, relative humidity and amount of hot gas introduced yield of 96 percent relative to the total amount of sodium from the low r part Of h lumn- 45 chloride and monosodium glutamate employed.

Under such conditions as listed in the following table the EXAMPLE 3 method of the present invention is carried out by the use of the aforementioned apparatus: Employing the same column as example 2, 9.4 kilograms of TABLE Example A Y B Material to be coated MSG (28-100 mesh) 1. kilogram NaCl (32-100 mesh) 1.0 kilogram per per minute. minute. Coating agent..." Ribo (100 mesh pass) 80 grains MSG and Ribo (2:1 by weight) 176 per minute. grams per minute (150 mesh pass).

Solvent for Wetting 40 grams per minute 1120-. H10 grams per minute. Temperature of hot gas in the C 60 C.

inlet of column. Relative humidity of hot gas in 2 percent 7 percent.

the inlet of column. Feed rate of the hot gas 63.0 N mfi/hr. (14 cmJsec.) 158 N mJ/hr. (35 cm./sec.). Total period for contact of the 1.5 hours 2 hours.

material to be coated with the hot gas. Temperature in the process 50 C. 35 (3.

corresponding to the second ste Relative humidity in the process 80 percent percent.

corresponding to the second ste Amoiint of product taken out 1.08 kilogram per minute 1.18 kilogram per minute.

from the outlet.

Remarks: monosodium glutamate (MSG) of mesh size 24 to 65 are charged in the column. Then 1 liter of 70 percent hydrous methanol (volume/volume) is sprayed therein under agitation. 600 grams of 5'-ribonucleotide of mesh size 150 to 200 (-74 ,u) are mixed with the above treated MSG. After that, a hot gas of 50 C. and relative humidity of 8 percent is in- 1-3, 7 troduced at a rate of 35 Nmh/hr. (about 8 cm./sec.) from the bottom of the column. The aeration is continued under agitation for l hour.

Thus 9.9 kilograms of the dried products is obtained in a yield of about 99 percent relative to the total amount of monosodium glutamate and -ribonucleotide employed.

What we claim is:

l. A method for producing a powdery condiment composition wherein sodium chloride as a powdery material to be coated is coated with at least one of flavorous 5-nucleotides and flavorous amino acids as powdery coating agent, or wherein a flavorous amino acid as a powdery material to be coated is coated with a flavorous 5'-nucleotide as a powdery coating agent, which method comprises (i) wetting the surface of about 80-99 parts by weight of the powdery material to be coated with about 3-6 percent, by weight of the powdery material to be coated, of at least one ofwater and a hydrophilic organic solvent as wetting agent, (2) admixing about 1-20 parts by weight of the powdery coating agent with the wetted powdery material to be coated, (3) allowing the coating agent to adhere to the surface of the material to be coated by contacting the mixture of step 3 with a hot gas whose temperature and relative humidity are about 20-l00 C. and about -95 percent respectively, and (4) drying the resultant material by contact with a hot gas whose temperature and relative humidity are about 30100 C. and about lpercent respectively.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material to be coated is monosodium glutamate and the coating agent is at least one of disodium salts of 5'-inosinic acid and 5'-guanylic acid.

3. A method as claimed in claim I, wherein the material to be coated is sodium chloride and the coating agent is monosodium glutamate.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wetting agent is water. 

1. A method for producing a powdery condiment composition wherein sodium chloride as a powdery material to be coated is coated with at least one of flavorous 5''-nucleotides and flavorous amino acids as powdery coating agent, or wherein a flavorous amino acid as a powdery material to be coated is coated with a flavorous 5''-nucleotide as a powdery coating agent, which method comprises (1) wetting the surface of about 80-99 parts by weight of the powdery material to be coated with about 3-6 percent, by weight of the powdery material to be coated, of at least one of water and a hydrophilic organic solvent as wetting agent, (2) admixing about 1-20 parts by weight of the powdery coating agent with the wetted powdery material to be coated, (3) allowing the coating agent to adhere to the surface of the material to be coated by contacting the mixture of step 3 with a hot gas whose temperature and relative humidity are about 20-100* C. and about 80-95 percent respectively, and (4) drying the resultant material by contact with a hot gas whose temperature and relative humidity are about 30-100* C. and about 1-85 percent respectively.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material to be coated is monosodium glutamate and the coating agent is at least one of disodium salts of 5''-inosinic acid and 5''-guanylic acid.
 3. A method as claimed in claim l, wherein the material to be coated is sodium chloride and the coating agent is monosodium glutamate.
 4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wetting agent is water. 